Networking tips series – follow up email

Hello friends, Welcome to this 3 series short post on networking tips where I will be writing one tips each week. Hope you find it helpful.

Networking sounds exciting, meeting new people, building connections and finding new prospects for your professional development. Extroverts and Introverts at networking has always been a debate but there are some simple hacks of networking that work for both personality types.

Sending follow-up email after a networking event 

You walk out of a networking event with some (hopefully many) business cards, people you know and some you have met for the first time. Now what you do with these contacts makes first networking impact. You can either keep those business cards and use them to contact people when you need a favor or you can use them to make first move to building a meaning network. Do you send emails to people after first meeting with them at a networking event? If yes, great, you are already taking professional networking seriously. For rest of us, who still hesitate to email or call new prospects, I have some tips to share that I am learning on my journey to building professional network.

Why follow-up email is  important? because it gives you a fair chance to standout. When we meet so many people at same time, it hard to remember them all but those who meet us again shortly become connections. Follow-up email is that chance to build connection and also its less intimidating than phone call. The process is overwhelming and takes time and effort too. I have learned a few simple steps here can make it easier and doable.

• Create a standard email template that you can use to send to people after a networking events. Some editions (as required) and your email is ready to go.
• What is the best time to send this email is tricky but doing is sooner so that person can recall your meeting easily is advisable. Try to send the email within a week meeting the person.
• Treat this email as a way of keeping in touch with your network, not for seeking any favor, at least not the very first time.
• If possible, you can ask for an opportunity to meet again. Personal networking is more effective.

So how do you follow-up after a networking event? Email, phone or anything that you want to share with us….